Surface mounted panel adapter for a socket mounted electricity meter

ABSTRACT

A surface mounted panel adapter for a socket mounted electricity meter allows a socket mounted electricity meter to be installed on a switchboard. The surface mounted panel adapter is designed to attach to the back of a switchboard, and to expose a meter socket which is mounted on the rear wall of the surface mounted panel adapter through the front wall of the switchboard. A standard socket mounted electricity meter can be mounted in the meter socket through the opening in the switchboard. Electrical connections to the meter socket can be either on the rear of the panel adapter, or on the bottom of the panel adapter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/238,392, filed Jan. 27, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No.6,104,601 entitled PANEL ADAPTER FOR A SOCKET MOUNTED ELECTRICITY METER,issued, Aug. 15, 2000, which was based upon provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 60/072,828 entitled PANEL ADAPTER FOR A SOCKETMOUNTED ELECTRICITY METER, filed Jan. 28, 1998.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electricity meters. In particular, thepresent invention relates to an adapter which can be used to enable astandard socket mounted electricity meter to be used as a small caseswitchboard meter or as a large case switchboard meter.

As is known by those skilled in the electrical metering arts, socketmounted meters are used in numerous locations. As used herein, the term“socket mounted meter” is intended to mean an electricity meter which isintended to be mounted in a base. Common examples of socket mountedmeters are those electricity revenue meters which are found on the sidesof homes and commercial buildings and in substations.

As used herein, the term “switchboard” is used to refer to a relativelylarge, flat panel which has metering equipment mounted thereon, or moretypically, therethrough, such that the metering equipment may be viewedfrom the front. However, the electrical connections to the panel mountedmeters are made at the rear of the switchboard panel.

Due to the nature of a switchboard, in which the intent is to maintain arelatively flat frontal appearance, a class of metering equipment,called small case meters have been designed to mount either on, orthrough, switchboards in order to be able to have only their displayportions, or a relatively small portion of the meter, exposed on thefront side of the meter.

Another factor which is present in typical small case meters, of thetype intended for use on a switchboard, is that they are generallyadapted to be mounted from the front, and they are thereafter wired fromthe rear, enabling a single person to be able to both mount and wirethem.

Heretofore the different physical configuration of a socket meter, inwhich the meter is significantly longer than what would be desired toextend through the panel prevented standard meters from being used,also, as switchboard meters. The present invention provides an apparatuswhich allows a standard socket meter to be used as a switchboard meter,so it is not necessary to store both socket meters and switchboardmeters. A socket meter used with the present invention, as a itchboardmeter, can readily be removed and used as a standard socket meter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view, showing the present invention,and illustrating how a socket meter is mounted in it;

FIG. 2 illustrates the manner of mounting the present invention,together with a socket mounted therein, in a switchboard;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a switchboard showing how a socketmeter appears when viewed from the front of the switchboard when thepresent invention is used to mount it;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention which allows a socket meter to be mounted from the front ofthe panel; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4showing how a socket meter appears when mounted in that embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of a third embodiment of the presentinvention which allows a socket meter to be mounted from the front ofthe panel, but which does not expose a large opening when the meter hasbeen installed;

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of a first embodiment of an adjustableleg design for the adapter of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of a second embodiment of an adjustableleg design for the adapter of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the rear wall of an alternative embodiment ofthe adapter of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a surface mount panel adapter inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the surface mount panel adapter ofFIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the surface mount panel adapter of FIG.10, as installed on a switchboard;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8 illustrating ameter socket which does not use terminal blocks mounted on its rearsurface; and

FIG. 14 is a side view of the embodiment of FIGS. 10-12 illustrating ameter socket which does not use terminal blocks mounted on its rearsurface;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIG. 1, a first embodiment 10 of the panel adapter ofthe present invention is shown. As shown, the panel adapter 10 allows astandard socket mounted meter 12 to be mounted in a switchboard 14. Thepanel adapter 10 is comprised of a front wall 16 having an opening 17,formed therein. The face 19 of the meter 12 will be visible through theopening 17, when the meter 12 is installed in the adapter 10, as shownin FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the face 19 of the meter 12 will besubstantially flush with the front of the switchboard 14, followinginstallation. As used herein, the term“substantially flush” is intendedto mean that the face 19 of the meter 12 can protrude somewhat throughthe switchboard 14, or that it can be coplanar with the front of theswitchboard 14, or that it can be somewhat behind the front of theswitchboard 14.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the front wall 16 has fourlegs attached to it, of which three of the legs 18, 20, 22, are visiblein FIG. 1. The adapter 10 further includes a rear wall 24, on which ameter socket 26 is mounted. As shown in FIG. 1, the meter socket 26 hasa socket portion 28, to which the meter 12 is attached, and a connectionportion 30, which extends to the rear of the rear wall 24. At the rearof the connection portion 30, there are terminal blocks 34 used to makeelectrical connections to the meter 12. The meter socket 26, in thepreferred embodiment of the invention, is wired with an input/outputcable 36 which may be used to provide pulse outputs from the meter 12 toa data recorder or other device. Alternatively, the input/output cable36 may be used for serial communications between the meter 12 and anexternal device (not shown).

With continued reference to FIGS. 1-3, the front wall 16 optionallyincludes an elongated hook 38, which is narrower than the width of thefront wall 16, and which is offset from the remainder of the front wall16, so that the hook 38 can extend through the cut-out opening 40 in theswitchboard 14 (See FIG. 3).

The panel adapter 10 of the first embodiment of the invention is easilyused by a single installer, even though installation must beaccomplished from both sides of the switchboard 14. From the rear of theswitchboard 14, the hook 38 on the front wall 16 of the adapter 10 isplaced through the cut-out 40. This can be accomplished with the meter12 installed, as shown in FIG. 2, or with the rear wall 24 removed fromthe adapter 10. As shown in FIG. 2, in the preferred embodiment of theinvention, there are a pair of threaded lugs 42, which are placedthrough openings 44 in the switchboard 14. The installer then goes tothe front of the switchboard (See FIG. 3) where he installs threadednuts 44 on the lugs 42. Also, screws 46 are inserted though additionalopenings and screwed into threaded openings 48 (which may be trappednuts, as shown in FIG. 1) on the front wall 16.

Next, the installer returns to the rear of the switchboard 14, where heinstalls the rear wall 24 (with the meter 12 already in the socket 26)to the rear frame 50, using threaded lugs 52, which extend throughopenings 54 on the rear wall 24, as shown in FIG. 1. Wing nuts or othernuts (not shown) are used to install the rear wall 24 to the rear frameof the adapter 10.

The adapter 10 of the present invention can have legs which are ofdifferent lengths to adapt meters 12 of different lengths. Holepatterns, openings, and the length of the hook 38 are based upon theopenings and hole patterns in standard switchboards, but they may bevaried, as needed. The adapter 10 is preferably made of powder coatedsteel, having a typical thickness of about ⅛ inch, although othermaterials can be used without departing from the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a front view of an alternative embodiment 100of the invention is shown. In this embodiment 100, the front wall 102 ofthe adapter 100 has an opening 104 formed therethrough which preferablyhas a diameter of approximately 1.5 inches larger than the diameter ofthe face 105 of the meter 106 which is installed using the adapter 100.This larger opening 104 (relative to the opening 17 in the embodiment 10shown in FIGS. 1-3) enables the user to remove the socket meter 106 fromthe front (i.e., through the opening 104), as well as from the rear ofthe switchboard 14, as is done when using the adapter 10 of the firstembodiment (See FIG. 1) illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. In the adapter 10 ofthe first embodiment the socket meter 12 can be installed and removedonly from the rear of the switchboard 14, by removing the rear wall 24(See FIG. 1).

In view of the fact that the embodiment 100 permits the socket meter 106to be mounted from the front of the switchboard, rather than from therear of the switchboard, it is not necessary, when using the embodiment100 to mount the meter 106 and its associated socket 108 to the rearwall 10 of the adapter 100 prior to mounting the adapter 100 to the rearof the switchboard, as it was necessary to mount the meter 12 along withits associated socket 26 to the rear wall 24 of the adapter 10 of thefirst embodiment (See FIGS. 1 and 2) before mounting the adapter 10 ofthe first embodiment to the rear of the switchboard. Instead, the socket108 is mounted to the rear wall 110 of this embodiment of the adapter100 with the meter 106 either installed or not installed. If the meter106 has not been installed when the adapter 100 is mounted to theswitchboard, then the meter 106 may be installed through the opening 104in the front 102 of the adapter 100. Of course, even if the meter 106 isinstalled from the rear of the switchboard, this embodiment of theadapter 100 permits the meter 106 to be removed and/or replaced from thefront of the switchboard, whereas the adapter 10 of the first embodimentrequires removal of the rear wall 24 each time a meter 12 is installedor removed.

Referring to FIG. 6, an adapter 200 of yet another alternativeembodiment of the of the present invention is shown. In the adapter 200,the opening 202 in the front wall 204 of the adapter 200 issubstantially the same diameter as the face 206 meter 208. However, inthe adapter 200, the front wall 204 includes a removable face plate 210,which is shown as being attached to the front wall 204 by a screws 212.Beneath the removable face plate 210 there is another, larger opening214 (shown in shadow). While the opening 214 is shown as being round, itcan be rectangular or other suitable shape without departing from theconcept disclosed with respect to this embodiment 200 of the invention,which is that the removable face plate 210, can be removed from thefront wall 204 of the adapter 200, by removing the screws 212. With theface plate 210 removed, the larger opening 214 is exposed, and the meter208 can be installed, removed, or replaced from the front of theswitchboard 216 as could be done with the embodiment 100 of the adapter,as shown in FIG. 4.

Another modification shown in the embodiment 200, but which could beused in any of the embodiments of the adapter is the absence of the hook38 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, still other variations on the presentinvention are shown. In particular, while the embodiment 10 shown inFIGS. 1, 2, and 5, was shown as having legs which had a fixed length,there are meters which have different lengths. Accordingly, in order toprovide an adapter which can be used with various meters, it isnecessary to manufacture different adapters which have legs havingdifferent fixed lengths. In order to minimize costs while retainingmanufacturing flexibility, it may be desirable to provide adaptershaving legs whose lengths can be varied. This can be accomplished byproviding adapters with an adjustable leg configuration, as shown inFIGS. 7 and 8.

In FIG. 7, the adjustable leg 300 is comprised of a first leg portion302 and a second leg portion 304. The first leg portion 302 includes aseries of fixed openings 306 which are spaced from one another, whilethe second leg 304 portion includes at least one tapped opening whichcan be used to receive a screw 308. Alternatively, there can be one ormore openings in the first leg portion 302, and the second leg portioncan include a number of tapped openings. In either case, by selecting asuitable opening 306 in the first leg portion, and matching it with asuitable tapped opening in the second leg portion 304, the overalllength of the leg 300 can be readily adjusted.

Similarly, with reference to FIG. 8, an adjustable leg 400 is comprisedof a first leg portion 402 and a second leg portion 404. The first legportion 402 includes an elongated opening 406, while the second legportion 404 includes a tapped opening which can be used to receive ascrew 408. The overall length of the leg 400 can be adjusted by slidingthe leg portions 402, 404, and then tightening the screw 408 when asuitable length has been achieved.

As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the rear wall 24 of theadapter 10 has a meter socket 26 mounted to it. The meter socket 26includes a connection portion 30 to which electrical connections to themeter 12 are made when the meter 12 is in the adapter 10. Aninput/output cable 36 connected to the meter 12 is shown as beingseparate from the rear wall 24. As it may be desirable to avoid having aloose cable, FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative rear wall 124 whichincludes the standard connectors 128, but which also includes a panelmounted input/output connector 130 which is mounted to the rear wall 124in order to avoid the loose cable. Instead, the front portion of therear wall 124 includes a connector (not shown) to which the input/outputcable 36 is connected, and the panel mounted input/output connector 130provides data accessibility, without the need for a loose cable as inFIG. 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, another embodiment of the presentinvention, in the form of a surface mount panel adapter 500, is shown.As shown, the surface mount panel adapter 500 includes a front wall 502and a rear wall 504. As illustrated, the front wall 502 in the preferredembodiment 500 has an upper portion 506 and a lower portion 508, withthe two portions 506, 508 being separated by an opening 510 formedtherethrough (See FIG. 10). In the surface mount panel adapter 500 ofthe preferred embodiment, the opening 510 has a size and configurationwhich is slightly larger than the size of the front 512 of a metersocket 514 mounted in the panel adapter 500, which meter socket 514 isintended to be used to mount a socket meter 516 (See FIG. 12) which isintended to be mounted in the panel adapter 500.

With continued reference to FIGS. 10-12, the rear wall 504 of thepreferred embodiment of the surface mount panel adapter 500 includes anopening 518 having a size and configuration which is adapted to exposethe rear portion 520 of the meter socket 514 which is mounted therein.As shown in FIG. 11, the rear portion of the meter socket 520 typicallyincludes a number of terminal blocks 522 which are used to makeconnections to the meter socket 514 (and, ultimately, to a meterinstalled therein).

As illustrated, the preferred embodiment of the surface mount paneladapter 500 is formed of a single piece of metal. Accordingly, the upperportion 506 of the front wall 502 is connected to, and spaced from, therear wall 504 by an upper leg 524. Similarly, the lower portion 508 ofthe front wall 502 is connected to, and spaced from, the rear wall 504by a lower leg 526. As the purpose of the legs 524, 526 is to providespacing between the front wall 502 and the rear wall 504 it is notnecessary for the legs 524, 526 to be solid sheets, as shown.Alternatively, these legs could be in the form of individual legs (Seelegs 18, 20, 22 in FIG. 1). They could also be made adjustable, asillustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.

The surface mount panel adapter 500 includes means, such as the tappedopenings 528, which may be used, together with screws, for mounting thesurface mount panel adapter 500 to a switchboard panel 530 (See, FIG.12).

In use, the surface mount panel adapter 500 includes a meter socket 514mounted in it, and it is mounted to a switchboard panel 530, as shown inFIG. 12. This exposes the front 512 of the meter socket 514 through thefront of the switchboard panel 530, so that a socket meter 516 cansimply be plugged into the meter socket 514. The terminal blocks 522 onthe rear portion 520 of the meter socket 514 are used to make electricalconnections to the meter socket 514.

While the preferred embodiment of the surface mount panel adapter 500 isconstructed of a single piece of metal which has been folded to form thefront and rear walls 502, 504, and the spacing upper and lower legs 524,526, it is possible to form the device in separate parts, to mold itfrom a plastic material, or otherwise form it, so long as it maintainsthe relationships set forth herein so that it can be used to mount ameter socket. Thus, while the front wall 502 is formed in two portions,with the“opening” 510 formed therebetween, the specific format used inthe preferred embodiment could be modified without departing from theinventive concept described. For example, if the front wall was formedof a single piece of material, the opening formed therein would becircular in shape. In such case, the rear wall could be discontinuous,or the legs could be removable or adjustable, to allow the mounting ofthe meter socket.

As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the use of the surfacemount panel adapter 500 in connection with a switchboard 530 provides aunique way to retrofit the switchboard 530 such that a meter 516 ismounted on the front surface of the switchboard 530, rather than in therear of the switchboard 530.

While a number of designs for the present invention have been disclosed,those skilled in the art will recognize that other design differencesmay be utilized without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. Thus, while meter sockets have been shown in which theterminal blocks extend out of the rear of the meter socket, therebyrequiring an opening in the rear wall of the panel adapter, other typesof meter sockets exist, and are well known to those skilled in themetering arts in which the terminal blocks are formed in the bottom ofthe meter socket. Thus, with reference to FIG. 13, a panel adapter 600,having a meter socket 602 mounted thereon, is shown. The meter socket602 includes a portion 604 containing the socket's terminal blocks whichextends downward beneath the leg 606, so that the wires 608 connectingthe socket 602 to the terminal blocks do not extend through the rearwall 610 of the panel adapter 600.

Similarly, a surface mount panel adapter 700 is shown in FIG. 14, inwhich a meter socket 702 is mounted thereon. The meter socket 702includes a portion 704 containing the socket's terminal blocks whichextends downward beneath the leg 706, so that the wires 708 connectingthe socket 702 to the terminal blocks do not extend through the rearwall 710 of the panel adapter 700.

I claim:
 1. A surface mounted panel adapter for use with a socketmounted electricity meter, comprising: (a) a front wall having anopening formed therethrough, said opening having a size which issubstantially the same as the size of the front surface of a socketmeter which is intended to be mounted on said surface mounted paneladapter; (b) a rear wall which is adapted to have mounted thereon ameter socket suitable for mounting a socket mounted electricity meter;(c) a plurality of legs which extend between said front wall and saidrear wall, said legs spacing said rear wall from said front wall, saidlegs having a length which is selected to allow the front surface ofsaid meter socket which is to be mounted in said surface mounted paneladapter to be substantially flush with said opening formed in said frontwall of said surface mounted panel adapter; and (d) means for mountingsaid surface mounted panel adapter to a switchboard panel, whereby asocket mounted meter which can be mounted in a meter socket attached tosaid surface mounted panel adapter will extend out from said switchboardwhen mounted in said meter socket.
 2. The surface mounted panel adapterof claim 1 wherein said legs have a length which spaces said front wallfrom said rear wall by a distance which is substantially equal to thelength of said meter socket which is mounted on said rear wall of saidsurface mounted panel adapter.
 3. The surface mounted panel adapter ofclaim 2 wherein said opening in said front wall is substantially thesame size and shape as the front of the meter socket which is to bemounted on said surface mounted panel adapter.
 4. The surface mountedpanel adapter of claim 3 wherein said surface mounted panel adapter isconstructed of a single piece of material, and said front wall isdiscontinuous, said front wall having an upper portion and a separatelower portion, whereby the opening in said front wall is comprised ofthe space between said upper portion and said lower portion of saidfront wall.
 5. The surface mounted panel adapter of claim 2 wherein saidopening in said front wall is formed to be sufficiently larger than thefront of the meter socket which is to be mounted on said surface mountedpanel adapter that said electricity meter can be mounted in said metersocket through said opening in said front wall.
 6. The surface mountedpanel adapter of claim 1 further comprising a meter socket mountedthereon, said meter socket including socket means for receiving a socketmeter.
 7. The surface mounted panel adapter of claim 6 wherein saidmeter socket further comprises means for connecting electric linesthereto.
 8. The surface mounted panel adapter of claim 7 wherein saidmeans for connecting electric lines thereto is comprised of terminalblocks.
 9. The surface mounted panel adapter of claim 8 wherein saidterminal blocks are mounted on the side of said meter socket which isremote from the side which receives a socket meter.
 10. The surfacemounted panel adapter of claim 9 wherein said terminal blocks aremounted on the bottom of said adapter.